Houston edged out by No. 21 UCF

Sunday, November 18

Houston

1 p.m. CT

University of Houston

16-16, 3-14AAC

No. 21 UCF

26-3, 16-0AAC

UCF

Houston

Photo by: Stephen Pinchback

11/18/2018 4:04:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Cougars battle with top 25 opponent

By: Ryan Levine

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Volleyball team dropped its contest with No. 21 UCF by a score of 3-1 (27-25, 17-25, 18-25, 23-25) on Sunday afternoon inside the Athletics/Alumni Center.

Despite holding a 1-0 match lead after the first set, the Cougars (16-16, 3-14 AAC) were unable to complete the upset, as the Knights (26-3, 16-0 AAC) went on to win the final three frames.

HOUSTON 1, UCF 3

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
Houston saw a plethora of its players come out to quick starts, as four Cougars found themselves with multiple kills in the first set. Led by sophomore outside hitter Silvia Pertens who led all players with five kill in the first frame, the Cougars' offense combined with its defense that posted three team blocks, paced the way to the 27-25 set win.

Set 2
The second set saw Houston's offense come to a halt, as a .024 hitting percentage in the frame prevented the Cougars from gathering any momentum. Freshman outside hitter Alexis Cheatum did her best to jumpstart her team with seven kills in the set, but her efforts were not enough, with UCF cruising to the 25-17 set win to tie the match at 1-1.

Set 3
The Cougars regained some of their offense, but a .289 hitting mark from the Knights proved to overmatch Houston. UCF built itself as much as an eight-point lead in the set, which helped pace them to the 25-18 set victory.
Set 4
Houston did everything in its power to force a fifth, going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country. After the Cougars owned an 8-5 lead early on, the Knights were forced to call a timeout and even though UCF inched toward the Houston lead, the Cougars never backed down. It wasn't until the 23-23 mark when UCF managed to tie it and after two consecutive points, the Knights went on to win the set 25-23 to take the 3-1 match victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Houston recorded more kills than UCF in the match, finishing the afternoon with 57 kills compared to the Knights' 56. It's the second time in as many contests that Houston has posted more kills than its opponent.
The Cougars had four players record 10 or more digs in the same match for the sixth time this season.
This afternoon marked the eighth occasion this year that three or more players slammed home 10 or more kills in the same match.
Two Cougars posted double-doubles on the night in senior setter Katie Krebs (21 assists, 11 digs) and sophomore setter Abby Irvine (23 assists, 11 digs). It marked their 13^th double-double of the season for Irvine and seventh for Krebs. It was also the 11^th time multiple players have posted double-doubles in the same match.
Junior outside hitter Megan Duncan recorded a career-high 20 digs in the match.
Freshman middle blocker Kendall Haywood tallied a match-high two solo blocks.

UP NEXT
Houston completes its 2018 campaign on Wednesday, Nov. 21 when the Cougars host SMU inside the Athletics/Alumni Center for a 1 p.m. CT first serve.

Fans are encouraged to come to the Athletics/Alumni Center prior to the match for a special pregame ceremony that will honor Houston's three players who will play their final match in a Cougar uniform.

STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @UHCougarVB, and "Like" UHCougarVB on Facebook.

JOIN POINT HOUSTON CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Volleyball program by joining the Point HOUSTON Club. To find out more information about the Point HOUSTON Club, visit UHCougars.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH.

– UHCougars.com –